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Liberty Place

Location: Almost an entire block; 17th and Market through 16th and Chestnut

Built: Tower 1: 1985 Tower 2: 1988

Finished: Tower 1: 1987 Tower 2: 1990

Architectural Style: Postmodern

Architect: Helmut Jahn

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Standing 945 feet and notable for its distinctive glass spire, One Liberty Place is the second tallest building in Philadelphia, and among its best skyscrapers. It is definitely most famous for being the first building to surpass City Hall in height, breaking the 80 year old gentlemen’s agreement to not do so. It was definitely a controversial move, but one that opened a door to all sorts of new buildings throughout the city, and Philadelphia now has 8 buildings surpassing William Penn’s hat, along with many along the way. The two towers of Liberty Place were the first, and to this day remain among the tallest. In terms of architecture, they’re also among the best. One Liberty Place stretches a staggering 945 feet into the sky, eclipsing City Hall by over 400 feet. The tower was clearly inspired by New York’s Chrysler Building, the first man-made structure to pass 1,000 feet. While it may not be that tall, the glass spire mirrors its

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Notes:

The Residences at Two Liberty sell for deplorably high prices.

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Images:

One Liberty Place will open an observation deck in the Fall of 2015. This will be a must see, and you can see it here when that happens.